Building materials



April 9 1963 F. F. LINDSTAEDT ETAL 3,085,037

BUILDING MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25. 1957 INVENTORS F/VK /NOSM'DT JEPPY E HAML//V HUGHES CALL Arreg/EY April 9, 1963 F. F. LINDsTAEDT ETAL 3,085,037

BUILDING MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1957 ,47' TOP/VEY United States Patent C) spaans? BUilLDiNG MATERlALS Frank F. Lindstaedt, San Anselmo, Calif. (432i) Lush Ave., Sacramento, Calif); .lorry F. Hamlin, 42 @alrridge Road, San Rafael, Calif.; and Hughes Call, 315 Montford Ave., Mill Valley, Calif.

rasa sept. 23, i957, sa. No. saisis i entra. (ci. rsa-45.9)

The present invention relates to building material, and is a product formed by combining two existing products to form a third product so unusual and useful that it opens up applications not possible for either of the two basic components.

The product is made by combining asphalt building material (roll, roong, shingle, etc.) with expanded metal by means of pressure, with the result of a semi-rigid metal reinforced asphalt fibre panel for use in the building trades, and numerous other fields listed below.

Both of these basic materials lend themselves to each other i.e., the asphalt paper is sufliciently compressible to receive the metal pressed into it. Similarly, the nature of expanded metal, due to the nature of its manufacture, allows part of the mesh toV cut into the asphalt paper. The force necessary to accomplish the union is necessarily applied at right angles to the surface of each. However, that part of the mesh that bits or cuts into the asphalt paper, does so at an angle oblique to the direction of the force with the result that the mesh is firmly embedded in the asphalt paper. Removing the expanded metal mesh from the asphalt paper is impossible without literally destroying the paper.

Therefore, it is a feature of this invention that the Very nature of the expanded metal enables it to form a more or less permanent bond with asphalt paper once it has been pressed into the latter. No other adhesive or agent of any kind other than pressure is required. The expanded metal itself may be coated by spraying, dipping, plating or other means for purposes of resistance to corrosion of the metal itself, but such protective coating is not required for the purpose of making the bond with the asphalt paper.

The foregoing description of how our invention is made implies that one layer of expanded metal is bonded to one layer of asphalt paper. The resulting rigidity is a direct function of the separate strength of the individual materials. The panel so constructed could be increased in stiffness and strength by either increasing the gauge of the expanded metal, the thickness of the asphalt paper, or both.

Further, greater strength may be obtained by holding constant the gauge of metal and thickness of the asphalt paper, and increasing the number of plies with enough alternate layers of metal and paper to achieve the degree of rigidity required, ending up with either two faces of asphalt paper, two faces of expanded metal, or one of each.

Moreover, materials of other than asphalt paper lend themselves to receiving the expanded metal. Asbestos paper is one of these, and a three-ply sandwich of asphalt paper, expanded metal and asbestos paper affords moisture barrier, rigidity, and lire resistance. Indeed, it is a feature of our invention to be able to force expanded metal into a wide range of materials, such as, `but not limited to plastic and wood, etc., in addition to the asphalt paper described mainly herein.

In addition to increasing the number of plies, strength may also be increased by applying alternate layers of expanded metal with the grain and across the grain.

It is contemplated that the present product will be manufactured in flat sheets, in more or less four feet by ICC eight feet sizes, of light-weight expanded metal and various weights of asphalt paper.

Such sheets may then be utilized in a great variety of industries for a long list of possible uses. The sheets may be formed, bent, corrugated, rolled, nailed, and the material can be welded to itself.

Further, it is a feature of our product that the otherwise raw edge of the expanded metal when perfectly registered with an edge of asphalt paper, is electively shielded. Thus, when a sheet of expanded metal is pressed into asphalt paper and trimmed with shears, the resulting'edge is smooth. Even though the cut tips and edges of expanded metal are clearly visible, they are literally buried in the asphalt paper, or do not protrude in the slightest. Running a linger over such an edge produces no different effect than feeling the edge of asphalt paper without the expanded metal embedded therein.

Our invention has uses which fall into main classifications, namely, improving existing uses of asphalt paper, and new uses not possible without reinforcement of expanded metal.

Examples of existing uses which would be improved with rigidity are roll roofing and asphalt shingles. Despite attempts to devise inter-locking asphalt shingles to thwart lifting, bending, and breaking by high winds, no asphalt shingle on the market today is immune from such potential damage.

ln contrast, a shingle stiiiened by our invention would be wind-proof in that the greatest possible damage would he limited to the bending of the shingle. It is not conceivable that wind damage would result in tearing or breaking of the expanded metal.

ln addition to the improved use of rooting, our product lends itself to rooting accessories such as ridge caps, valley ashing, gutters and downspouts. Asphalt paper used as a base on which to apply stucco will be vastly irnproved by the rigidity of expanded metal, and broad markets should exist for flat siding, and corrugated asphalt roong, which are two products not now possible in the absence of rigidity.

A wide use should exist inthe container, packaging and transportation industries in that in addition to ease of processing, low cost and durability, our invention affords protection against moisture.

At the present time, the nursery industry has always been dependent for nursery pots for plants on unprotected steel containers cast-olf from other industries. Our invention lends itself perfectly to produce a low-cost, moisture-proof, attractive nursery pot.

Other possible uses are boxes (fruit lugs, etc.), concrete forms, awnings and other protective cover, highway traflic markers, boat hulls and oating docks.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will appear as the speciiication proceeds, and the new and novel features of our building material will be fully delined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred forms of our invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which:

FIGURE l shows a plan view of a sheet of asphaltum having a sheet of expanded metal impressed upon the surface thereof;

.FIGURE 2, a section through the same taken along line 2 2 of FlGURE l;

FIGURE 3, a plan view of a sheet of wood having a sheet of expanded metal impressed upon the surface thereof;

FIGURE 4, a section taken along line 4 4 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5, a plan View of a sheet of expanded metal spaans? having thin sheets of asbestos paper impressed upon opposite sides thereof;

FIGURE 6, a section taken along line 6 6 of FIG- URE FIGURE 7, a sectionV through a multiple arrangement of alternate layers of expanded metal and asphalturn;

FIGURE 8, a lap joint between two building units made in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 9, a section through a building unit made in accordance with out invention and bent into corrugated form; and

FIGURE l0, a section similar 4to that of FIGURE 2, in which a thin sheet of special purpose material is interposed between the basic sheets.

While We have shown only the preferred forms of our invention, it should be understood that various changes or modications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate a building unit made in accordance with our invention and comprising a sheet of asphaltum and a sheet 2 of expanded metal pressed into the surface thereof at `ordinary temperature.

Since the inclined strands 3 of the expanded metal enter the asphaltum at an angle, with the diagonal strands of the network entering at different angles and the joints 4 between the diagonal strands again presenting different angular lines of attack, the network bites into the asphaltum so as to become firmly anchored therein.

It should be noted that in this process no adhesive or other bonding means is required and that the expanded metal is bonded to the asphaltum solely by themethod of pressing the expanded metal into the surface of the asphaltum.

The top surface of the expanded metal remains fully exposed to lend to the finished product its attractive appearance and design and to possibly serve as an anchoring means for a second sheet of asphaltum to be applied to the top surface.

The expanded metal applied in this manner gives a surprising kdegree of strength and rigidity to the sheet of asphaltum, although it allows of a certain amount of flexing in the final product which makes it amenable to desired rolling and bending operations.

lFIGURES 3 and 4 show a modified form of our invention in which the sheet 5 of expanded metal is embedded in the surface of a sheet of wood 6, the latter being approximately three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness.

While a piece of wood of this thickness naturally is less exible than a corresponding piece of asphaltum, the adding of the expanded metal greatly reinforces it, while still allowing' of a certain degree of flexibility and bendability.

'FIGURES 5 and 6 disclose our invention as applied to asbestos, in which two sheets 7 of asbestos are mounted and impressed into a sheet 8 of expanded metal interposed between the same.

In this form the two sheets of asbestos are very thin and the combined product is still quite exible, although, of course, not to the same extent as the sheets of asbestos would be without theV expanded metal. The use of asbestos is particularly indicated for tire protection.

FIGURE 7 illustrates a multiple arrangementV in which layers 9 of expanded metal are made toalternate with layers 10 of asphaltum, there being one layer of asphaltum in the middle, two layers of expanded metal impressed into opposite sides of the first layer and two layers of asphaltum impressed upon the outside of the expanded metal. Y

This makes a very strong and compact product, with the expanded metal concealed. In a structure of this type additional rigidity may be obtained by arranging the sheets of expanded metal transversely to one another.

Numerous Variations may be made in the arrangement of different sheets or layers.

FIGURE 8 illustrates how various lengths of our building material may be secured upon one another in overlapping relation. Assuming that the units are made in the simple form of FIGURE l, each unit comprising a sheet of asphaltum and a sheet 12 of expanded metal.

It will be seen that the units may be readily secured upon one another at the lap by placing the asphaltum side of one unit against the expanded me-tal side of the other unit and applying pressure to mold the overlying edges into a firm bond. This is particularly useful in View of the fact that expanded metal, taken by itself, does not lend itself to welding du-e to its open construction.

In FGURE 9 is disclosed one of our units made in accordance with FIGURE l and bent into corrugated form. Practically all of the units described herein may be bent similarly, depending on rigidity or flexibility desired, by proper choice of material and methods of assembling the same.

FIGURE 10 shows a section similar to that of FIG- URE 2, in which a special purpose sheet i3 is interposed between the expanded metal and the compressible material, in order to g-ive the final product certain desired characteristics, attractiveness in appearance, reflection, tire resistance, etc. `In the instance shown, the sheet may be a sheet of wall paper, which does not interfere with the proper bonding of the expanded metal into the basic compressible sheet.

While we have referred principally to asphalt, asbestos and wood as instances of compressible material capable of being reinforced by the expanded metal, it should be understood that our invention may be used in connection with plastics and, in fact, any material which is penetratable by the mesh of expanded metal, vegetable or mineral, or compositions.

It is also possible, at the instance of manufacture and prior to the application of the expanded metal, to apply various other materials for sandwiching in between the two basic components, as Ishown in FiGURE l0. These other materials may include, but are not limited to, such diverse items as aluminum foil, asbestos paper, cloth material, wall paper, Plioiilm, Saran wrap, galvanized insect screening, plastic screening, steel wool, paper, leather and others.

These materials do not necessarily add to, or detract from, the bond otherwise obtained by the expanded metal being forced into the basic material, or any other permeable host material. Specific uses for such an interlayer would be for decoration (wall paper), stiffness (insect screening), heat reflection (aluminum foil), and fire resistance (asbestos paper).

We have also discovered by experiment that the new product may be worked as well as, and better than, sheet metal insofar as it gives in both directions, within certain limits. Thus, not only can it be stretched, but with proper handling, it can be contracted, or compressed into itself. When a given area of the product is forced to accommodate itself to a smaller area, the diamond pattern closes up a little, and the asphalt felt compresses.

This feature has an important bearing on the manufacture of products from our new material other than iiat panels. It will be essential in the making of nursery pots, and in forming, spinning, rolling and shaping of containers and many other products.

We claim:

A building unit comprising a sheet of compressible asphalt impregnated material and a sheet of expanded metal `arranged in face-to-face relation with the sheet of expanded metal pressed partway into the sheet of asphalt impregnated material so as to be anchored thereto, the sheet of expanded metal projecting partway outside the sheet of asphalt impregnated material, and a layer of decora-tive material interposed between the two sheets and anchored to the sheet of asphalt impregnated material by 1,657,979 Thomas Jan. 31, 1928 the sheet of expanded metal. 1,997,987 Victor Apr. 16, 1935 2,489,541 Read Nov. 29, 1949 References Cited m the ie of this patent 217631586 Noyes Sept' 18, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,074,404 Barnhart sept. 3o, 1913 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,201,756 Perry Oct, 17, 1916 129,490 Great Britain July 17, 1919 

